Our Mission
Create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.
Our Vision
All youth achieve their full potential.
Our People
In addition to maintaining the dedicated services of more than a thousand matches, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area employs over two dozen staff members who support matches in all nine counties.
Lillian Samuel, MNA
Chief Executive OfficerLillian Samuel is a trailblazer in her role as CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, as the first African American to hold the position in the agency’s history. With a passion for making a difference in her community, Lillian has spent over 15 years working in leadership roles within the nonprofit philanthropic sector. She has a proven track record of success, having led teams to raise over $50M in revenue for large institutions including the University of California, San Fran Francisco (UCSF), Girl Scouts of Northern California and community health centers throughout the Bay Area.
Lillian’s career began as a buyer for renowned retailers such as Bloomingdales in New York City, The Gap in San Francisco, Cost Plus World Market, and Duty Free Shoppers. However, after years of volunteering on boards and fundraising, she transitioned to the nonprofit sector. Her vision is to support creating a more just and equity community through mentorship, ensuring young people have every opportunity to reach their full potential. Under her leadership, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area serves all nine counties of the region. In 2023, Lillian was recognized by the Marcus Foster Education Institute as a Visionary for Diversity – an individual who “embodies the belief that we are stronger together, we achieve nothing alone and bridges are the linchpins to our collective victory.”
Lillian is a proud alumna of the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her BA, and the University of San Francisco, where she earned her MA in Nonprofit Management.
Laura Gonzalez Reed
Chief Impact Officer(510) 439-2283
Anthony Spivey
VP of Programs650-242-2546
Joanna Reilly
Vice President of Development(415) 712-0611
Rick Ohren
VP of Data & Systems Administration415-503-4047
Stacie Schlenker
Director of Match Support Specialists510-725-5684
Adrianna Larson
Development Director(415) 854-7365
Shazia Hussain
Director of People and Operations415-503-3939
Karlynn Lee
Partnerships & Recruitment Manager510-575-0173
Sharmaine Sun
Manager, Marketing and Communications510-405-8350
Marynoelyn Jacob-Oviatt
Program Supervisor408-318-2333
Vanessa Dominguez
Program Supervisor415-503-4053
Ally Rosales
Development Associate510-519-5213
Ana Martinez
Enrollment & Match Specialist510-575-0113
Anna Carrizales
Enrollment & Match Specialist408-206-6085
Arthelle Porter Burns
Match Support Specialist707-215-5015
Camila Nunez
Match Support Specialist(408) 655-0228
Estefany Ortega
Customer Relations Specialist415-503-4034
Ginger Luna
Enrollment & Match Specialist510-414-9645
Hector Amaya
Match Support Specialist(510) 846-8431
Jahlan Loché
Match Support Specialist415-503-4351
Laneka Viney
Enrollment & Match Specialist510-340-9289
Sami Rios
Enrollment & Match Specialist415-323-4074
Our History
For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes and monitors meaningful matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 – 18, in communities across the country to develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect.
Bay Area Wide
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area has been providing Bay Area kids with professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships since 1958, gradually growing to represent all of the Bay Area regions, at large.
With the first major Bay Area merger in 2006, three separate Big Brother Big Sister organizations — San Francisco & Peninsula, East Bay, and Santa Clara County — integrated into Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area to more efficiently serve the community and meet the increasing demand for services.
In 2017, we merged with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Bay, which had been serving children in Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano Counties since 1970, to further streamline resources. Effectively reaching the entire Greater Bay Area as a unified organization, we now serve children from nine counties in the Greater Bay Area: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma.
Financial Statements
Your financial support helps kids to realize their potential, one relationship at a time.
The documents below provide detail of our carefully managed financial status. Every local Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its own IRS Form 990 and audited financial statements.
Careers
Make a Big Difference in the Lives of Bay Area Kids
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area is an exciting, fast growing non-profit with heart-felt goals. We’re committed to building a great staff: we offer a good benefits, competitive wages, and of course, a job that matters.